Police: Pasta led to hit-and-run suspect

MIAMI, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Miami police said homemade spaghetti that was being carried by the victim in a fatal hit-and-run incident led investigators to their suspect.

Police said Ana Iris Perez-Hernandez, 25, was holding a plastic container of homemade spaghetti with tomato sauce when she was hit and killed by a Toyota Corolla with her young son by her side, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Miami Police Detective Lorraine Rubio said suspect Jose Santiago, 62, was arrested after she found remnants of the pasta on his Corolla hours after the collision.

"It was underneath the grill, and there were still pieces on the bottom right part of the windshield," Rubio said. "It told me that, at least, the vehicle was possibly involved in the accident. There aren't too many vehicles with spaghetti on them."

Santiago, who admitted to being "very tired and sleepy" when driving home from work, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a death. He was released from a Miami-Dade County jail on $5,000 bond.